Speeches and Presentations

Speeches and presentations byby Rebecca Grappo

Rebecca has given many speeches and presentations for audiences in the U.S. and internationally. A teacher at heart, she loves to share what she knows with others. If you would like for her to speak or present for your organization, please contact her.

2018

“The Importance of Story When Working with TCKs”, with Ruth Van Reken, acclaimed expert on TCKs- International School Counselors Association, Bangkok, Thailand

Panel Discussion on Emotional Resilience in Third Culture Kids at the American Foreign Service Association headquarters, Washington, DC, April 2, 2012 with panelists Ruth Van Reken, Rebecca Oden, Julia Simens, and myself (Rebecca Grappo) speaking on why some kids thrive and others struggle in this globally nomadic lifestyle. YouTube video is one and a half hours long.

International Assignments: What About the Kids? – Minneapolis Employee Relocation Council, April 2012

2010-2011

Panel Discussion on Ethical Considerations in Using Paid Agents for Recruiting Students Internationally, IECA, November 2011, Cincinnati

Panel Discussion for Educational Consultants Special Interest Group, Ethical Considerations in Using Paid Agents for Recruiting Students Internationally,National Association of College Admissions Counselors, September, 2010, St. Louis, MO

Teens Who Struggle: After High School, What Comes Next? Overseas Association of College Admissions Counseling, July 2011, Boston, MA

Parenting the TCK – Dubai American Academy, January 2010, Dubai, UAE

2009

Working with TCKs: An Overview for Consultants, The Independent Educational Association (IECA), November, 2009, Charlotte, North Carolina.

What Does It All Mean? Careers for a Changing World, keynote address for Career Day, The American School of Dubai, October 2009.

Transition to College: Information for Students and Parents, The American International School of Muscat, May 2009, Muscat, Oman

Five Things You Should Know Before Moving a Family Overseas, SHRM (Society of Human Resource Managers, Washington Chapter), Fairfax, VA

A World of Options: Making the Boarding School Decision, Family Liaison Office, U.S. Department of State

I’ve Brought My Foreign Service Child Home – Now What?, Family Liaison Office, U.S. Department of State

Education Options in Hard to Fill Posts (panel discussion), Family Liaison Office, U.S. Department of State

news / blog

How I Arrived in Holland

October 3, 2018

Today is a big day at our office– our new furniture arrives (pictures to follow!). And in the meantime, while cleaning out my desk, I found this beautiful piece which I feel compelled to share. In 1987, Emily Perl Kingsley penned this essay, Welcome to Holland, which I also pasted below. I vividly remember reading this for…

Texas Colleges and Universities: Texas A&M, Rice University, Trinity College, Schreiner University and the University of Houston

July 25, 2018

Starting the Texas Tour Prior to the IECA Conference in Austin this year, I had the opportunity to visit 6 Texas colleges and universities in east and central Texas with a group of other IECA college consultants. Starting on a Sunday night at the Hilton School of Hospitality Management at the University of Houston,…

For years, I have wanted to do site visits on three very special therapeutic programs in Costa Rica – New Summit Academy, The Bridge, and Pure Life. I finally had the opportunity to make this trip, and I am so pleased that I did! It was also a special treat for me to be able to visit these…

Cobalt blue skies, soaring evergreen trees, lush ferns, glacial lakes, hidden coves, and ocean views – few places in the world are as lovely as the islands of Victoria and Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. I had the pleasure of traveling there in April at the invitation of the Canadian Association of Independent Schools to…

A young man, 18, was admitted into a very selective and competitive college. However, having just been diagnosed with ADD, he was overwhelmed with all the independence, lack of structure, freedom, and new responsibilities. By the end of first term, he was nearing failure. It was imperative to get him in touch with student counseling…

A fifteen year old male student was extremely bright, but also had major struggles with ADD, depression, and behavior issues at school, resulting in numerous suspensions. The relationship at home was fraught with conflict and the family was at the breaking point. He was belligerent about the thought of going to boarding school, and opposed…

A young man, 15, started looking for a boarding school for his junior and senior years. He had everything going for him – stellar resume, grades, sports, and personality. The conversation focused on just how much academic pressure he was willing to take on. He was adamant he wanted to push himself, and was given…

A young woman of 17 moved to a remote location for what would have been her senior year of high school. She had never lived overseas before, and her school only offered the International Baccalaureate program. Therefore, she was put back a year to start the IB curriculum. She was miserable, and things finally reached…

A family with a son who had significant development delays contacted me regarding life as an internationally mobile family and wondered about embarking on such a lifestyle. We spent hours of counseling up front while they were still in their home environments, and the family prepared to homeschool their son, knowing few schools overseas would…

A family with two employed parents was suddenly separated by an evacuation, leaving them with some important decisions to make quickly regarding the children’s education. The older daughter remained in her boarding school and became the school’s star student; the younger one remained with mom and came back to the U.S. The father remained overseas…

A sixteen year old girl came to me feeling very depressed and uninspired by school. Her mother was extremely concerned by her lack of engagement. This girl was extremely bright but did not do well in a traditional setting. Her mother said her creative side needed to be encouraged in order to get her engaged…

I wanted to tell you I spent last weekend in Arizona having a reunion of friends from Beijing days 20 years ago…..and guess who was there…a dear friend…..I said, you don’t happen to know Becky Grappo and her words, exactly, “She saved my life!!!!” I thought you would like to know that….she is in fine…

Speaking of professionals, please accept my sincere gratitude for your brilliant work. This all really started happening after you challenged our son to give you something concrete to work with. Your strategy was perfectly planned and executed. Good Show!

I just wanted to thank you for getting me through the most painful and difficult thing I have ever had to do. I know that there is a lot of work to be done but I feel we are finally on the right track. I know that you put a lot of effort into helping…

My husband and I cannot thank you enough for coming through for our son, when he needed someone like yourself to come for his rescue. Our son is a changed young man – full of confidence and joys of life. It is simply wonderful to see him doing so well and it is all thanks to you.

My son is doing incredible!! I cannot believe the difference in him. He still has a way to go, but he even knows it and he is just so open and honest with us and himself. I am proud of him. Thank God for all of you that help us realize that we and our kids…

I will take this opportunity to thank you for all your assistance and support over the last few months. This period could have been most stressful but was not due to your support, cool guidance and highly professional approach.

I have seen a lot of maturity and sense of responsibility in him. No matter how much I miss him not having him home with the family, both his father and I realize that sending him to boarding school was the best things that we have done for him. The staff is wonderful at his…

I don’t think I have adequately thanked you for the superb work you did for us this past year. We went from being nowhere, to getting our son into some excellent, superb schools. You should be so proud of what you do, because it’s clearly an art. No rules, but a lot of gut feelings….

I wanted to thank you for your helpful emails and staying in contact with me even now that I’m in college. I wanted to at least give you a quick reply and let you know that I’m loving it here at my college and feel like it is the perfect place for me. More than anything,…

I would like to thank you personally for everything you’ve done for our son, actually for both my children. My husband and I were have been suffering (not so silently) for the past month with our son and his essays, or their non-existence. Even though we felt he had good chances of getting in, one…

I just want to make the point of thanking you formally for all the great work that you did with our son this last year! It was wonderful and so reassuring to know that you were there with him throughout the whole process of university applications. We all know it can be stressful for most and…